Pizza has a storied, centuries-long history, and it’s one of the world’s oldest – and most beloved – dishes. Even now, more than two centuries since the first pizza was served in Italy, pizza is more popular than ever.

Over the years, though, pizza has evolved. The dish originated in Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, where an early version of the dish consisted of traditional breads topped with different sauces and vegetables. This evolved the first pizzas that were served in Naples in the late 1700s and early 1800s.

Then, pizza spread rapidly. First, it became popular throughout Italy, with different regional varieties popping up. Then, it moved to the United States in the early 1900s, when Italian immigrants started selling pizzas in New York. Later, in the late 1950s, pizza spread to Australia – where it has become one of the country’s favourite dishes.

Throughout its history, the dish has been traditionally baked in wood fired pizza ovens. This type of oven has been in use since the dawn of man. And although electric ovens gained in popularity during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, wood fire ovens are coming back in vogue.

A Trend Toward Gourmet, Wood Fired Pizza

When the first pizzeria opened in Australia in the late 1950s – some say it was Toto’s in Melbourne – Australians have fallen in love with the dish. It spread rapidly across the country, and fast food pizza chains proliferated around the country in the 1970s.

Yet, Australians wanted something that was better, and they were the first to embrace gourmet pizza. The trend arose in the 1980s, when enthusiastic chefs started using better ingredients and traditional methods like the wood fired pizza oven to reinvent the dish. That trend has continued to grow. In fact, according to recent research, gourmet pizzerias have continued to take a larger share of the market over the last decade.

At home, this trend is evolving as well. More and more Australians are installing wood fire ovens in your gardens, and they’re embracing traditional pizza baking methods. This is happening around the world. According to a report in the Independent UK, one vendor of pizza ovens saw 300 per cent growth in sales about a decade ago, and that trend has continued with celebrity chefs like Jamie Oliver praising the benefits of wood fire ovens.

Today, the wood fired pizza oven is more popular than ever. They offer a traditional, back-to-basics way of cooking for people – and if you ask anyone who’s ever had a wood fired pizza, the pizza just tastes better. Now, traditional ovens are chic, fun cooking appliances that are being installed all across Australia.